The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced that relief consignments from the Ukrainian side are not allowed to Mariupol, because the russian side is afraid that “the world will see what is happening there”.
He stated this in an interview with the Turkish TV channel Habertürk, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
“They are afraid that the world will see what's there. That's why we can't deliver humanitarian aid. There are not tens, but thousands killed, thousands wounded,” Zelenskyy said.
“We don’t know how many people from Mariupol ended their lives tragically. But they will not be able to hide it. There are thousands of people, it is impossible to do. We will see when we can enter our city,” the president added.
Answering questions about responsibility for crimes against civilians, Zelenskyy said: “The Russian army and political leaders, all those who developed the operation, gave orders and carried it out - they all are war criminals. Everyone must be held accountable".
After the evidence of mass killings of civilians in Bucha shocked the whole world, russia's top leaders ordered the destruction of all evidence of criminals of its army in Mariupol. One week ago, “cautious” estimates put the death toll at 5,000. The Mariupol City Council also reported that russian mobile crematoria for “covering up the tracks” have started operating in the city.
President Zelenskyy also noted that it is very difficult to organize the unblocking of Mariupol by military means.
The Security Service warns that the occupiers are planning a provocation in the city to accuse Ukraine. It is noted that the main task of russian propaganda today is to deflect the attention of the audience (both international and internal) from the mass murder of civilians in the Kyiv region by the occupiers.